Knitting-machine.



G. E. STEVENS.

KNITTINVG MACH-INE. APPLICATIONTILED MAR. :2,191?.

Patented Dem 4, E91?.

Hg. l.

irren sra'rns ramener oiiicia GEORGE E. STEVENS, OF LACONIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

KNITTING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.. 4l, 191W.

Application filed March 12, 1917. Serial No. 154,083.

i companying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts. y

This invention relates to dial knitting 'machines andhas for its object to provide a novel attachment for such machines by which a slack course or courses can be formed in the tubular fabric at predetermined intervals along the length thereof. Such slack courses are formed for the purpose of providing division lines in the fabric along which it may bc cut to divide it into short lengths adapted for tops of half hose, cuffs of shirts, drawers, etc. The device herein illustrated is somewhat similar' to that illustrated in my co-pcnding application Se. No. 866,215, filed October l2, 1914.l In said co-pending application, l have illustrated a construction wherein the cam ring by which the vertical needles are actuated has a lever pivoted thereon carrying a roll situated directly beneath the outer ends of the horizontal needles and wherein pattern mechanism or a cam device is provided for raising the lever at the time the slack course is to be formed thereby bringing the roll against the underside of the horizontal needles and elevating the latter.

rlhe cam mechanism'for operating the vertical needles is also so constructed that when the slack course is t0 beformed the vertical needles are given an extra downward movement, such eXtra movement occurring simultaneously with the lifting of the horizontal needles. In the device illustrated in my said cti-pending application, the roll which acts on the horizontal needles is so constructed that when it is raised into operative position, it will have contact with and elevate several needles at the same time. When the yarn which 'is being used is very fine and delicate, this operation of elevating several needles at the same time is apt to place an undue strain upon the yarn.

llhe object o-f my present invention is to provide a novel slack course attachment of the above type which is constructed so that one only or only two or three horizontal needles will be lifted at one time. ln this way,

the strain on the yarn is greatly reduced and there will be less liabilitv that delicate yarn will become broken in tne slack course than where a considerable number of the ho rizon tal needles are lifted simultaneously.

In order to give an understanding of my invention, l have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will nowbe described, after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a knitting machine having my improvements applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a partial sectional view on the line 2 2, Fig. l;

Figs. 3 and Ll are detail. views through the dial-needle-elevating-member taken on. substantially the line 3 3, Fig. 1, said views illustrating the operation of lifting the dial needles;

Fig. 5 is a view of the dial-needleelevat ing member;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6 6, Fig. 5.

The dial knitting machine illustrated inv the drawings comprises the frame or bed l carrying a needle cylinder 2 in which the vertical or cylinder needles operate, as usual, and also carrying the circular dial 3 in which thedial needles 40 operate.

The vertical or cylinder needles are given their vertical or knitting movement by means of a cam carried by the cam ring 4f which is rotatably mounted on the frame, as usual in dial-knitting machines, and the dial needles are given their knitting movement by means of a dial cam 5 which rotates with the cam ring 4, said dial cam being herein shown as secured to a yoke or frame t3 which is rigid with the cam ring 4. The cam ring y 4l is driven by any suitable or usual mecha nism which, however, is not herein shown, as it forms no part of the present invention. The cam ring l has associated therewith a movable cam member which is brought into play at the proper time to give the cylinder needles an eXtra downward movement for the formation of a slack course, this movable cam member' being herein actuated by a lever 7 pivoted at 8 to the cam ring and provided with a pin 9 which is adapted to be actuated by a pattern cam l0 mounted on a rotary shaft 11 extending from the cam ring. This shaft is actuated to bring the cam 10 into operation periodically by means of a star wheel 12 mounted thereon l frame 1. The cama-ing e issh'own vas lia-ving a bracket 16 secured thereto to which one'end of a lever 14. is pivotallyconnected, v

f as at 15. This lever 14 carries a needle- Vlifting memberQlS that isadapted to `engage and liftthe dial needles atithe time the slack course is to be formed. The outer end A of the lever 14 has a screw 17 screw-threaded therethrough, said screw being situated ,to be engaged by the pin 9 so that when the lever 7 is raised thereby to Vcause the'vertical needles to have their extra downward movement, the lever 1-t is also raised, thus bringing the needle-lifting member 13 into engagement with the dial needles and raising them.

The needle-lifting member 13 is constrnct-V ed so that it can be'm'ade to act on one dial needle 40 only at a time, or on two or three or more needles at the same time as desired. This needle-lifting member is provided with I:the beveled surface 2O which is situated parallel to the dial needles40. The edge of the needle-lifting member 13 is provided 4Vwith a notch 21 shaped topresent a square shoulder 22 at the edge of the beveled surface 20.` The lever 14 is bent so that the portion thereof to which the needle-lifting memberd is secured stands at an .inclination, and the needle-lifting member Y13 is adjustably secured to the lever by means of i a'screwv 24. If the' screw is'loosened, then the :needle-lifting member can beadjusted aboutthe screw as a pivot so as to change V the angular position `of lthe `shoulder 22. This needle-lifting membermaybe adj usted ywith the shoulder. 22 in such position that whenv the lever 14 is raised, one needle 40 only will be engaged by the beveled portion 20, the other needlesoceupying Vthe recess or notch 2l.V If, however, theneedle-lifting member 13 is adjusted'into the position shown in Fig. 6, then the beveled surface 20 is so positioned that when ,the needle-lifting Vmember is raised, it will have engagement with two or more of the needles 40, thus elevatingl this number of needles simultaneously. The provision of the notch 21with the shoulder 22 and the adjustment of the needle-lifting member about its pivotal screw 24 provides means whereby the needle-lifting member may be Ymade to act on one needle only at a time or on a plurality of needles. It will be seen that the needlelifting member is frusto-conical in shape so that the beveled surface 2O has a Vconical shape.- The advantage of this is thatas the needle-lifting member is carried around underneath the dial needles by the cam ring 4L, thelbeveled 4surface20l will have a camming action against the needles l-, thus raisingthem gradually. As each needle passes over the shoulder 22, it will drop olf from i theshoulder and resume its normal position.

The device has the advantage, however, that it can be adjusted to operate on one or more needles at a time.

I claim: 1. In a knitting machine, the combination with cylinder needles, of a rotary cam ring for operating them, dial needles, means for actuating said dial needles, a lever pivoted at one ond to the cam ring, a needle-lifting member carried by the lever,intermediate of its ends, a pattern-actuated lever also pivoted to the cam ring, and connections between ysaid pa-tttern-actinited lever and the first-named lever ivhereby the latter is raised by the former thereby to bring the needlelifting member into engagement with the dial needles, said needle-lifting member being adjustable on its supporting lever and constructed to lift one or more needles at each operation thereof, depending upon its adjustment.

2. In a knitting machine, the combination with cylinder needles, of a rotary cam ring for operating them, dial needles, means for actuating said dial needles, a lever pivoted at one end to the cam ring, pattern-actuated mechanism for raising the lever, and a needle-lifting member adjustably A,carried by said lever and adapted to engage and raise 4 the dial needles when the lever is lifted, said needle-lifting` member .being constructed to contact with a diiferent number of needles in dilerent adjusted positions.

3. In a knitting machine, the combination withcylinder needles, of a rotary cam ring for operating them, dial needles, means for actuating said dial needles, a lever pivoted at one end to the cam ring, pattern-aetuated mechanism to raise the lever at predetermined times, and a needle-lifting member adj ustably mounted on the lever and adapted vto be brought into engagement with the dial needles when said lever is "aised, said needlelifting member having a needle-engaging surface and a notch adjacent said surface whereby the adjustment of said needle-lifting member on the lever will position it to engage a greater or less number of needles. In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE E. STEVENS.

gnies offthis patent may te obtained for rfive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. C. 

